Making sure you get all the nutrients you need every day is pretty simple. Check the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Nutrition Data Library to see the nutrition content of just about any food. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, food labeling guidelines will help you decipher the nutrients in prepared foods. Chart your vitamins and nutrients against the Dietary Reference Intake, or DRI, levels advised by the National Academies of Science's Institute of Medicine and you will know exactly where you stand on your path to good nutrition and health.
Set Your Standards
Step 1
Refer to your tables of standards: The National Academies of Science's Institute of Medicine Dietary Reference Intake, DRI, tables, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Nutrition Data Library, or a similar database, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Food Labeling Guidelines. The tables are available on-line, in libraries and by mail from the agencies.
Step 2
Name row one in your log book "Nutrients." Enter the vitamins and nutrients you want to track across this top row, each item atop its own column.
Step 3
Name row two in your log book "My DRI." Enter the daily recommended intake nutrient amounts for your age and gender from the Institute of Medicine DRI tables under each nutrient.
Step 4
Enter the date you begin charting your vitamin and nutrient intake on lines three through six. Label them "Breakfast," "Lunch," "Dinner" and "All Snacks," respectively, followed by the word "Actual."
Step 5
Name the seventh row "Difference from DRI," or "+/-"
Record Daily Values
Step 1
Consult the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Nutrition Data Library, or similar nutrient database, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Food Labeling Guidelines and the food labels of prepared foods to learn the vitamin and nutrient content of each portion of food you eat.
Step 2
Enter the appropriate nutrition content under each column on the apprpopriate rows titled "Actual."
Step 3
Calculate the difference between the Dietary Reference Intake and your actual vitamin and nutrient intake and record it on the line titled "Difference from DRI," or "+/-" in the appropriate column.
Step 4
Repeat steps 1 through 3 of Section 2 every day for as many days as you wish to chart.
Chart Your Results
Step 1
Label the axes of your graph paper. Write "Days" across the bottom and "Amount" along the left margin of the page. Name or number the days you want to include in this chart, starting at the left. Indicate a range of units appropriate to a vitamin or nutrient you will chart, for instance milligrams, mg, or micrograms, mcg, on the left, beginning with the lowest value at the bottom. Arrange your units so the Dietary Reference Intake for this nutrient is in the middle with a value 50 percent lower at the bottom and 50 percent higher at the top.
Step 2
Prepare a graph for each vitamin or nutrient you want to chart.
Step 3
Graph the daily values for each vitamin or nutrient based on the values you recorded in your log book.
Tips and Warnings
- You may want to chart a number of vitamins or nutrients on the same graph. Graph each in a different color or with different symbols for ease of distinguishing one from another, and instead of actual quantities, record the values as percent above or below Dietary Reference Intake. Include a key to show which color or symbol refers to which nutrient. You may find it more convenient to tally your snacks together over the course of the day and enter the total on the "Snacks" line of your log book, rather than adding a new line for each snack. You may do the same for meals and enter only the combined daily food totals to a single line labeled with the date and the words "Actual Total."
- Consult your physician or nutritionist before making major changes to your nutrient intake.
Things You'll Need
- Computer with Internet access
- Log book with columns
- Pen
- Calculator
- Graph paper
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